Knitwear and Jewellery Design

As part of the UK launch of Nicky’s new book, I’m honored to be taking part in her blog book tour. Welcome if you are following the tour from Black Cat Originals and make sure to stop into Sewing is for Girls tomorrow to hear more news and reviews from some fellow fiber lovers. Keep reading and you will have the chance to win your own copy!Nicky Epstein is renowned for her reference books. Her previous publications, Knitting Block by Block, Knitted Flowers, Knitted Embellishments and Knitting on the Edge amongst others, delve into the depths of each subject to provide you with a seemingly endless range of possibilities. Knitting in circles is no exception.
Discovering how to knit in the round was a huge revelation to me as I learnt to knit, literally 95% of my knitting is done on DPN’s or circular needles now. So I was naturally quite excited by the prospect of a whole book of circles. Although not all of the designs are knit in the round, there’s still something intriguing about a circular piece of knitting.The majority of the book is individual circle designs, which are broken down into chapters, or rounds as they are called. They start with basic shaping techniques and progress on to more elaborate embellishments, lace stitches, colourwork and a miscellaneous, or eclectic, section. Each of the designs has a chart to go with it, which I personally find a lot easier than written instructions, so a big plus.

There’s a short section where Nicky suggests ways to design your own garments from this collection of circles, mixing and matching, and controlling the design with gauge. At the very back there are 15 of Nicky’s own patterns that use circles in their construction. A lot of them are ingenious and are really improved by the use of circles. There are a few that look quite involved and i’m not sure I would ever attempt to make, but above all they’re hugely creative; the Eternity dress is gorgeous!You will most likely learn something new as you progress through this book. Nicky encourages creativity and it will no doubt inspire people to challenge their own knitting and designing skills, you’d be unstoppable with the complete collection!

Win your own copy:

To win your very own copy of Knitting in Circles leave a comment below to tell me when you’ve done each of the following things. Please leave a separate comment for each so it’s easier to count entries. You must do at least one of the following, the more you do the more chances you have to win!

Please remember to leave your email address in the comments so I can get hold of you if you win. The giveaway will stay open until 9pm Sunday evening and I’ll announce the winner early next week. Good luck!